


Meeting the Kids

by jcp_sob_rjl_lmep



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Chris is Jim's adopted dad, F/M, Multi, Tarsus IV, he literally calls him dad at one point, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 06:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4127845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep/pseuds/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim has finally recovered enough from his death experience to leave the hospital and recover at home. His main bridge crew decides to throw him a small party in the apartment that they decorated while he was in the hospital. The party is interrupted when Jim gets an unexpected vid call, and his friends (family) meet someone new.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bones pushed Jim’s wheelchair up to the door of Jim’s apartment. Jim remembered what it looked like and readied himself to open the door to an empty place with a small bed in the bedroom, a replicator in the kitchen, and absolutely nothing else. His hand was halfway to the doorknob when it swung open to reveal Hikaru, grinning madly.

“What’re you still doing out here, Cap?” Hikaru questioned, already moving past him to push Jim into the flat. Jim twisted to look up at him in confusion as they went through the small entryway into the living room and the door slammed behind them. Jim’s question died on his lips as he was pushed through into the living room and he saw everything. There was a new couch, for starters. A coffee table was situated in front of it, and there was a fake houseplant in the corner. Well, Jim hoped it was fake. If it was real it probably wouldn’t live long, considering Jim’s usual track record with plants. Jim forced off thoughts of the first (and only) time his gran had tried to have him help out in the garden, and instead focused on the people that had somehow gotten inside his flat.

Spock and Scotty were sharing the couch, muttering to each other quietly and occasionally glancing at the coffee table. There was easily enough room for two more people on the couch, maybe three if Jim was one, considering how skinny he’d gotten. Everyone else was gathered around the coffee table, meaning Uhura (Jim was afraid to call her by her first name even in the privacy of his mind) and Pavel. The two were involved in a vigorous game of cards, easily trading jibes back and forth. Music trickled through the air, giving the entire place a comforting vibe. Scotty noticed him first.

“Jim, there ye are, lad!” He grinned, getting up to pat Jim on the shoulder before going past him to the kitchen. Jim looked up at Uhura, who towered over him in the wheelchair.

“We redecorated your apartment. It was more than a little sad.” She told him bluntly.

“Yeah, I know.” Jim rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly for a moment. “Never really got around to doing anything in here.”

“Yeah, we could tell.” Uhura smiled slightly, before leaning down to give Jim a gentle hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She whispered in his ear, pulling away to sit back down at the table before Jim could reply.

“Keptin!” Pavel said excitedly, staying on the floor but bouncing in place like a particularly eager puppy.

“Call me Jim off duty, Pavel.” Jim requested fondly. Pavel had time to nod before a triumphant cry from Uhura drew his attention back to their game. Hikaru rested a hand on the back of Jim’s neck for a moment before he moved off to either join the game or offer unhelpful hints about how to play other games. Jim wasn’t sure. Hikaru had been known to do both.

“Captain.” Spock stood before him, hands clasped behind his back as he stared down at Jim. “I am pleased that you are recovering well.”

“Call me Jim, Spock.” Jim grinned up at his First Officer, who looked slightly taken aback. “Thank you for following my recovery.”

“Of course, Captain.” Spock agreed. A small smile curved up the corners of his lips as he inclined his head to Jim and turned to go back to the sofa. Jim pouted. He swore to himself to get Spock to call him Jim.

A hand clapped down on Jim’s shoulder and he winced slightly, turning to look up at Bones. “Welcome home committee.” Bones informed him, nodding to Scotty in thanks as the man passed him and gave him a glass of whisky.

“Thanks, guys. I wasn’t gonna do anything.” Jim called out. Uhura nodded, Pavel muttered to himself as he scanned his cards, Hikaru flicked an extra card at him (it hit Jim in the nose), Scotty grinned, and Spock inclined his head gracefully. The calm was broken when the PADD in Jim’s bag rang out. He pulled it out and hit answer without looking at who was calling him. He swallowed once, hard, when he saw the pissed look on his gran’s face, and for a second wished that he hadn’t answered.

“Gran, hey.” Jim managed to choke out, trying to give her a smile.

“James Tiberius Kirk!” She started, and Jim winced. Her Irish accent was thick with anger. Everyone had gone silent, observing what was going on. “Don’t you ‘Gran, hey’ me!”

“I apologise for whatever I’ve done.” Jim rushed out, swallowing convulsively at the glare he got in response.

“Leave the boy alone, Ruthie.” A man said, off-camera, and a moment later Jim’s grandfather appeared, sitting next to his wife and giving his grandson a small smile. His American accent, unlike his wife’s, was deep and relieved, with just the faintest hint of an Irish accent mixed in.

“Grandpa Ty!” Jim grinned happily. “How are you?”

“I’m doing fine, boyo, just fine.” Tiberius’ smile widened until it took shape as the famed Kirk grin. It took years off his face.

“Why haven’t you called?” Ruth demanded. Beneath the anger, Jim could hear strains of worry, and he ducked his head as he saw the bags under her eyes.

“I apologise, Gran, I’ve been doing physical therapy and debriefings and I’ve barely had time to sleep.” He sighed as her face softened, allowing the worry to shine through. “I was gonna call, swear.”

“Have you been taking care of yourself, Jamie?” She asked, all traces of anger gone.

“Don’t worry, ma'am, I’m takin’ good care of him.” Bones cut in behind him, letting his Southern drawl out as he smiled at Jim’s grandparents.

“Leonard, I didn’t see you there!” Ruth said, in surprised happiness. “Well, now I know Jamie will be fine.”

“Thank you, ma'am.” Bones grinned, and smacked Jim on the thigh, out of view of the camera. Jim jumped slightly and glared up at Bones.

“Is there anyone else there, Jamie?”

“Just my bridge crew, Gran.” Jim nodded.

He angled the camera so his grandparents could see everyone, and began the introductions.“This is Scotty. He’s my head engineer.”

“Aye.” Scotty agreed. He grinned at the camera. “Hullo, sir, ma'am.”

“This is Spock. He’s my First Officer, and my head of science.”

“Greetings.” Spock inclined his head politely to the camera.

“This is Uhura. She’s my head communications officer.”

“Please, call me Nyota.” She smiled prettily at the camera. “Jim’s afraid to.”

“Yeah, cause the last time I did, the ambassador’s guards thought I was being too friendly and I got a broken nose!” Uhura shook her head as Bones snorted behind Jim. Jim determinedly ignored them both and moved on.

“This is Hikaru. He pilots my girl.”

Hikaru flicked another card at him. “She’s my girl too.”

“Fine. Hikaru pilots our girl. Happy?”

“Very.” Hikaru smiled innocently.

“Yeah, don’t give me that fake innocence.” Jim accused, before turning to the last person in the room.“This is Pavel. He navigates our girl."

Pavel smiled at the camera, the picture of seventeen-year-old innocence. "Hewwo.”

“Jamie, he’s adorable! Can we keep him?”

“Graaaaan!” Jim groaned, embarrassed. Bones snickered behind him. Jim switched to a one-handed grip on the PADD so he could reach behind him and hit Bones in the stomach. The snickers suddenly turned into groans, and Jim grinned triumphantly.

“Jamie!” Ruth scolded.

“Sorry, Bones.” Jim replied contritely.

“Yeah, yeah.” Bones rolled his eyes.

“Jamie.” Tiberius cut into their bickering. His face was serious, and Jim stopped short.

“Bones.” He said, hoarsely, and swallowed. “Help me onto the couch?”

“Yeah, sure.” Bones knew this was not the time for teasing, and rolled Jim’s wheelchair over to the couch. Uhura held the PADD as all the guys teamed together to get Jim onto the couch. Hikaru held the wheelchair steady, Scotty and Pavel each had a leg, and Spock and Bones each grabbed an arm.

“I think you guys are overdoing it a bit.” Uhura commented, trying to hold back her laughter. She bit her lip hard to stop from breaking as Jim protested when they tugged too hard on his limbs. She lost her composure when they finally had Jim settled and Spock informed him he was strong enough to have moved Jim by himself. Jim simply stared at him in wounded betrayal.

“Okay, okay.” Jim tried to shove Bones off of him with one hand, reaching out for the PADD with the other and wiggling his fingers at Uhura. “Booooones, leave me aloooone. I’m fiiine.”

“Okay!” Bones raised his hands in surrender and sank onto the cushion next to Jim. Scotty reclaimed his seat next to Bones, and Spock settled on Jim’s other side. Uhura handed the PADD back to Jim and rounded the sofa, leaning against the back next to Hikaru, who stood behind Jim. Pavel stood on Hikaru’s other side, and the two were quietly snickering about something. Uhura elbowed Hikaru in the side to get the two to shut up as Jim’s face smoothed out into the same serious look his grandfather sported.

“What happened, Grandpa?” Jim asked quietly.

“There was an… accident a few weeks ago, Jimbo. We would’ve contacted you sooner, but we weren’t sure how.” Tiberius said reluctantly.

“How’d you get my number?” Jim frowned slightly, sidetracked.

“A man named Christopher Pike messaged us a day ago.” Ruth said gently. Jim nodded as he absorbed the information, before shaking his head to get back on topic.

“What happened, Gran?” Jim asked firmly. Ruth hesitated, giving her husband a look. Before anyone could say anything, a door slid open on Jim’s grandparents’ side.

“Gwan'a, ready for bed.” A little boy announced firmly. Jim’s breath hitched in his chest, and his friends all gave him strange looks until the boy bounded into view. Then they all focused on the boy, sure they had to be seeing things. The little boy looked quite like Jim. He had Jim’s facial features, and his blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing blue pyjamas with the Enterprise scattered randomly across the shirt and pants, giving the illusion that she was flying in space, where she belonged. In one arm he clutched a worn teddy bear firmly, as if he was afraid it would be taken from him. A wide grin that the crew saw at least once a day stretched across his face.

“Jim,” Bones said quietly, as if the boy would disappear if he spoke too loud, “who’s that?”

Jim didn’t answer, dragging his fingertips across the boy’s image longingly. “Davey?”

The boy spun around, and Tiberius chuckled as he reached down to pull the boy on his lap and stop him from falling. He wrapped one thick arm around the boy’s waist as the kid leant in close to the camera.

“Daddy?” The boy questioned, bright blue eyes full of longing.

Jim gave a wet chuckle and dragged one hand beneath his eyes. “Hey, baby boy.”

Jim’s friends were giving each other bewildered looks as Jim took a deep breath.

“Daddy!” The little boy shrieked happily, trying to get closer to the screen.

“Where’s your mom, hotshot?” Jim let out a shaky breath as he stared at the little boy he thought he’d never see again.

“Momma wasn’t bein’ nice, Daddy. She was gonna give me to her friend when the car went boom.” Davey frowned. Jim gave his grandparents a look, and Ruth nodded as Tiberius distracted the boy by pulling him into a gentle game of Tug-of-War with the boy’s bear.

“She was drunk.” Ruth said quietly, giving the now giggling boy a sad look out of the corner of her eye. “We won the custody battle, but it’s still being finalised. He can vid chat with you, but no physical contact until it’s done.”

“Yeah,” Jim sniffled once, then laughed at himself. “Look at me, crying.”

“It’s not something to be ashamed of, Jimbo.” Tiberius gave his grandson a stern look as his great-grandson caught his breath in his lap. “Remember what I told you when you got back.”

“Yeah, okay.” Jim agreed, taking a deep breath. “Let your emotions run their course. To be strong isn’t to never break down. To be strong is to never let anything keep you down. When something pushes you down, get back up and push it back twice as hard.”

“That’s right.” Tiberius agreed softly, catching Jim’s eyes with his own brown ones. “You remember that, boyo. That’s something I wish I’d known at your age.”

The serious mood was broken when Davey let loose with a giant yawn.

“Time for you to get to bed, bud.” Jim said, gazing softly at his son. Bones was taken back at the emotion shining in Jim’s eyes, and realised what it must look like when he looked at Jo.

“Will you-” the boy was cut off by another big yawn. His jaws snapped shut with an almost painful-sounding click before he continued. “Will you sing ta me?”

Jim laughed softly. “I think I can manage that.”

He handed the PADD to a stunned Spock and rummaged through the bag strapped across his chest, emerging with another PADD. He opened the music and began scrolling through as his family moved on the screen of Spock’s PADD. Ruth picked up their PADD as Tiberius stood, tossing Davey up in the air a few inches, catching him as the boy giggled.

“Tiberius Mason Kirk, don’t you wind that boy up before he has to sleep!” Ruth scolded from behind the camera. Jim looked up, and both he and his son snickered at the look on Tiberius’ face when his wife used his full name. The video shook slightly as Jim’s grandparents moved through their house.

“Ah-ha!” Jim said triumphantly as the video showed a door with a sign shaped like the Enterprise that read _David James Kyler_ in neat cursive. Tiberius opened the door and walked the few steps to the bed, laying the small boy down gently and taking the PADD from his wife. He held it up to his great-grandson so Jim and David could see each other.

“Ready, bud?” Jim asked softly. David curled up underneath the covers and yawned before nodding. Jim selected a song and the tune began winding through the small apartment. Jim took a deep breath and began to sing.

_Close your eyes,_

_Have no fear,_

_The monster’s gone,_

_He’s on the run_

_And your daddy’s here_

_Beautiful,_

_Beautiful, beautiful,_

_Beautiful boy_

_Before you go to sleep,_

_Say a little prayer,_

_Every day in every way,_

_It’s getting better and better_

_Beautiful,_

_Beautiful, beautiful,_

_Beautiful boy_

_Out **in space** sailing away_

_I can hardly wait_

_To see you come of age_

_But I guess we’ll both_

_Just have to be patient_

_Yes, it’s a long way to go_

_But in the meantime_

_Before you cross the street,_

_Take my hand_

_Life is just what happens to you_

_While you’re busy making other plans_

_Beautiful,_

_Beautiful, beautiful,_

_Beautiful boy_

_Darling,_

_Darling,_

_Darling boy_

By the end of the song, Bones found his own eyes quite watery, and wiped a hand roughly across his face. Around him, everyone but Spock was also drying their tears. Spock was simply staring at Jim with a deep sadness in his dark brown eyes. The screen showed David blinking sleepily, blonde hair spread around his head like a halo.

“Goodnight, baby boy.” Jim whispered softly.

“Love you, Daddy.” The little boy mumbled quietly, drifting off.

“I love you too, David.” Jim had so much love in his gaze when he looked at his sleeping son that Bones had to look away in fear of his eyes watering again. The image on the screen slowly backed away until it was back in the hallway, and the door slowly closed until it was just barely cracked open.

“Grandpa?” Jim whispered. He seemed extremely wary of waking his son. A broad hand covered the camera for a moment until they were looking into Tiberius’ face.

“Yeah, boyo?” Tiberius raised one eyebrow, and Jim pouted slightly. He still couldn’t do that.

“Where’s Jam?”

“The poor boy’s gonna get a complex from you insisting on that nickname.” Tiberius shook his head, but amusement glimmered in his eyes. The PADD turned back around to the hallway. David’s door was in front of them, but the PADD turned to face the other side of the hallway, where another door was cracked open. The Enterprise sign was bigger than David’s and read _Joseph Samuel T'Kol T'Lan_ in the same fancy script. The door cracked until the hallway light shone onto a boy’s face.

This boy was smaller, around two or three to David’s five or six. He had dark hair, slightly pointed ears, and the faintest hint of a ridged nose.

“Jim.” Bones whispered in disbelief. There was no way Jim could have one kid, let alone two, and none of them knew.

“Okay, Grandpa.” Jim said in a low voice, running the pad of one finger along the image of the boy’s face. The camera turned to face Tiberius and Ruth again, and Ruth smiled.

“I think you all need to talk. We’ll call in a few days, Jamie.” She whispered.

“Love you,” Jim whispered back. “And thank you.” He reached over and hung up before they could answer, setting both PADDs down on the table and standing to stumble over to his window.

“Jim.” Bones said firmly. Jim could stand, but still not for very long, and it was easier to have a conversation when he was sitting and you didn’t need to worry about when you would have to catch your conversation partner.

“I’m fine, Bones.” Jim’s words hung in the room listlessly, no emotion behind them. Bones braced himself to leap across the room when Jim collapsed but said nothing. “As a kid, my mother left me and my big brother, Sam, with the man she married when I was two. He wasn’t a good guy, and he was the one that taught me to keep my self-expectations low, because I was the son of George Kirk, the galaxy’s hero, and I couldn’t even fight a few punches. What good was I? What good would I ever be?

"When I was almost twelve, my brother ran away. I have dreams about that day, sometimes. He said, 'I can’t be a Kirk here, Jimmy. You’ll be okay. He’s never hit you before. I’m sure he won’t start now. Goodbye, little brother.’

“He was wrong, you know. Frank loved to hit me. But the other stuff he did was much worse.” Jim gripped the windowsill in one hand, wrapping his other arm around his abdomen and curling over slightly. Behind Bones, Uhura made a small noise of distress and Bones reached up without thinking and grabbed her hand comfortingly like he would for his sisters. Her grip tightened on his hand as Jim went on. “That day, I took my dad’s old car out for a drive. I passed Sammy on his way out of town and kept driving as the police bike followed me past my big brother. I could barely see over the steering wheel, but I drove that car 'til we got to the cliff and kept going.

"I’d thought about going down with it, but as it fell I leapt out and caught the cliff. The police officer asked my name and I stood in front of him proudly. 'James Tiberius Kirk.’ I told him, 'cause I was a cocky little shit.

"Well, that was the end of my relationship with Frank. He was going to sell the car for credits, and when I got home he pushed me inside first, then crashed the door shut, grabbed the collar of my shirt and slammed the back of my head into the doorknob. That was the only visible mark he gave me, but I have a scar on the back of my leg where he threw a knife and it shaved several layers of skin off. The bruises lasted for weeks.

"The next morning, they shipped me off to my aunt Mariana, her husband Steve and their kids Kyler and Jon. The kicker? They lived off-world, in an experimental colony everyone knows as Tarsus IV.” Bones could hear Pavel let out a choked sob and the rustle of fabric as Hikaru pulled him into an embrace.

“My family was on his kill list. Both my cousins were younger than me, Ky by two years and Jon by four. Aunt Riana packed us bags; I had the food, Ky had the blankets and Jon had the meds. She shoved us out the back door and told us to run and never come back. I was hurt, and confused, but I took the boys and ran. We found other kids on our way and we were able to carry everything easier by splitting it between the six of us.

"We spent the night in the woods, and woke in the morning to the sound of phaser fire and screams, and the smell of burning flesh and blood. I put Luke, the youngest of our group at seven, on my back and we ran. It seemed like hours before we stopped. Eventually, I found out that I ran fourteen miles with that boy on my back. I don’t regret one step.

"We hid out in the caves. I began making runs to town when we needed more food and found more kids every few runs. The first person I ever killed was a little kid. I didn’t mean to, but she was crying and she wouldn’t stop and the guards were coming and she needed to stop,” Jim took a deep breath to calm himself. His last words had risen to a shout. “I put my hand over her face, and when I lifted it away she was dead.”

“The first of my kids to die was my cousin Ky. He’d always been a sickly kid, and without his parents, he wasn’t able to hold on anymore. I turned fourteen with the dead body of my little cousin in my arms.

"With Ky gone, Jon was second oldest, ten to my fourteen. I told him he couldn’t give up like his brother, that I knew how much it hurt to lose an older brother because I’d lost mine, but that he was the only thing stopping me from doing a suicide run into town to take out as many guards as I could but get myself killed in the process. It worked. Jon took care of himself and my kids, and I went on runs and found two new boys. Thomas Leighton was twelve when he lost half his face, and I nursed him back to health as best I could. Kevin Riley was six when he saw his parents and siblings murdered in front of him, and I grabbed him and ran.” Nyota’s grip on Bones’ hand tightened. “A month after that, they finally captured me. I was in that prison cell for so long…by the end, the doctor said I was still living from stubbornness and nothing else. It took me forever to relearn to do normal things. Then they told me I was going back to Frank.

"Well, fuck that. I snuck onto an Orion trade ship with a captain that liked to go by Hal. I kept tabs on my kids as they grew. Me? I was fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, growing up across the universe. My kids learned fractions and decimals. Tom learned to grow gardens. Kevin learned how to ride a bike.

"I learned how to gulp down Orion whisky with a straight face. How to act shitfaced when someone slipped something in my drink so they could take me outside and I could beat the crap out of them. How to hide myself behind masks of people that I’m not. I learned the weakest points on the bodies of dozens of lifeforms. I learned to fight like an animal, and to never stay down no matter how injured or tired I was, and that pain was my friend. The only time to stay down in a fight is when you’re dead. Pain is good. If you feel pain, you’re alive.

"When I was eighteen, I met Carla Marcus. We started dating. She was…abusive.” Jim sounded reluctant, like he didn’t want to say the words coming out of his mouth. “Physically, emotionally. I was going to leave after our one month, get on the next ship not headed for a Federation planet and get the hell out of there, but then she told me. Carla was pregnant.

"That stopped everything, of course. I’d never leave any child to face abuse, let alone my own. Five years after I’d turned fourteen with the dead body of one cousin in my arms and the other empty of emotions beside me, I turned nineteen with my son in my arms.

"When David was two, I came back to the apartment to find everything packed up. Carla knocked me out with the phaser in her hand, and I heard Davey sobbing and crying for me before I passed out. I woke to an empty place, no girl, no son. I took everything I could fit in a duffle bag and left the rest for anyone to take. I didn’t care. I had to find my son.

"Carla was really, really good. She used fake names to travel, made systems harder to crack so I’d take more than a minute getting in, and told sob stories to everyone about how I was the abusive one. I found them, eventually, three months later. Carla freaked and got a restraining order between me and David. No contact at all, ever. Not until he turned eighteen and got it removed himself. I knew he wouldn’t. Carla would brainwash my own kid against me.

"I went out, got well and truly drunk, and met a girl. Joseph was born eight months later, a month early because Teilani got accidentally involved with a batch of radiation poisoning. A few weeks after that, she died on the USS Pathfinder. I turned twenty-two with my second son in my arms at his mother’s funeral.

"My grandparents offered to take Jam in, look after him until I was able. I kissed him goodbye and went back to Riverside, Iowa. Ten years gone, I was, and yet I was still just a stupid impulsive kid, because that night I got drunk and agreed to join Starfleet, giving up hope of ever raising either of my boys.

"And there you have it.” Jim turned and faced them, holding his arms open in a challenge. Nobody said anything when they shook. “Well?”

“Well what, kid?” Bones found his voice.

“Who’s going to leave first?” Jim was defensive, but underneath he was just tired.

“None of us are gonna leave, laddie.” Scotty spoke up.

“That’s a lie.” Jim’s face twisted with anger and pain. “Everyone always leaves. Why would you guys be any different? EVERYONE ALWAYS LEAVES!”

Bones got there as he crumpled, sitting on the ground and pulling Jim into the safe circle of his arms.

“Oh, Jim.” He whispered, lips against blonde hair. Then everyone else was there, joining in on the hug. Nyota stroked Jim’s hair, ignoring the tears sliding down her face. Hikaru held Jim’s hands with his, whispering in Japanese and tracing patterns and figures on Jim’s hands. Scotty rubbed Jim’s back, muttering under his breath in Scottish. Pavel clung to everyone like a particularly enthusiastic octopus, crying and babbling on in Russian. Bones looked up and his eyes connected with Spock’s, who hovered at the edge of the group looking uncomfortable. Bones jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen and mouthed, 'Tea', and Spock looked relieved as he inclined his head in agreement and left the room quietly.

“Hey, hey, hey, kid, look at me,” Bones insisted as Jim began beating his head against Bones’ chest. “Look at me. Look at me.”

He wrenched one of his arms away from Pavel’s embrace and used his now free hand to grab Jim’s chin and look him in the eye, holding firm when Jim tried to wrench away from his hold, tears streaming from defiant blue eyes.

“We’re not going to leave you. Not now, not ever. Ah-ah-ah,” Bones interrupted Jim when he opened his mouth. “Everyone else leaves. Not us. You’re gonna get sick of the six of us, and we’ll still be there, you understand me? Huh?”

Jim slumped as it began to sink in and he nodded, relaxing against Bones’ chest and letting himself cry in earnest, finally beginning to deal with the pain he’d been holding back his entire life. Bones looked up and used his free arm to beckon Spock, who was hovering in the doorway with tea, over. Spock set the tea down on the coffee table and sat down by the group, allowing Bones to arrange his limbs the way Bones wanted and letting the group inch their way over until Spock was on the bottom of the group, Bones’ back pressed up against his chest and one long-fingered hand curled against Jim’s cheek.

“It’s gonna be okay, kid.” Bones whispered, when all the tears had faded away and almost all of them had faded into restless sleep. He connected his gaze with Spock’s, who simply raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Uncaring that Jim was slumped in sleep, Bones continued. “You’re not alone anymore, and you’ll never have to be again.”


	2. BONUS CHAPTER: KIRK REUNION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to move the reunion scene to a second chapter. I didn't change anything, just moved it over.

“Everyone else should be here soon.” Bones mused, head in Jim’s lap. He gave a little groan of happiness as Jim scratched his scalp with the tips of his fingernails idly, distracted by an engineering journal on his PADD. Spock, sitting between Jim and the couch arm, raised both eyebrows at them but said nothing.

They’d gone to Georgia for Thanksgiving, and their friends were slowly following them. Hikaru was the only one of their group whose family was in the U.S., and his family didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Everyone else was simply visiting their own families before they all gathered at the McCoys’ house the night before Thanksgiving so they could all celebrate together. Jim usually went with Bones anyway, and Spock’s only family was his father, grandmother, and older self, who were all settling on New Vulcan, so he’d gone with the pair early.

Scotty and Nyota arrived together, and Scotty pulled Jim into a conversation about the journal as Nyota bullied Bones into sitting up on the couch so she could sit down. As she sat, Hikaru arrived, trying to deal with a hyper Pavel and sending everyone else pleading looks when Pavel wasn’t looking. The seven began talking amongst themselves, laughing and telling about their time apart.

Jim was the only one surprised when Bones’ mama wheeled Chris Pike into the room, but he quickly pushed off his surprise and greeted the admiral with an enthusiastic “Dad!”

They settled the chair at the end of the couch, and everyone shuffled around the room to fit all eight of them and have room for others when they started coming over to socialise.

Jim sat at Chris’ feet, playing a game of chess with Spock. Chris idly carded one hand through Jim’s hair as he and Scotty talked. On the other end of the couch and spreading out to the coffee table, Bones, Pavel, Hikaru and Nyota were playing poker.

Mrs McCoy poked her head in.“Len, your guests are here.”

Without a word, Bones set his cards face-down on the table and left the room. He grinned at the family of four standing in the entryway. “Hello, Mrs Kirk, Mr Kirk.”

The four turned to face him, and Bones held a finger to his lips to keep the boys quiet, even as he got down on one knee for hugs.

“Uncle Bones!” David whispered, racing over to him and launching himself at Bones. Joseph was silent, stumbling over on socked feet.

“Hey, boys.” Bones ruffled both boys’ hair, earning himself an adorable but ineffective scowl from Jam and a pout from Davey that only served to make him look more like his father. He stood with a boy in each arm, careful not to jostle them too much as he moved. Tiberius gave Bones a Kirk grin, putting an arm around his wife.

“I think we’ll join your mama in the kitchen, Leonard. We’ll come in to say hello later.” Bones nodded absently, attention on Jam, who’d tugged on Bones’ collar as his great-grandpa was speaking.

“Dada?” The two-year-old whispered. The Kirks slipped past Bones and into the kitchen, starting a conversation with Ellie.

“Yeah, kiddo, he’s just through here.” Bones padded back down the hallway, down to the living room door. He set the boys down a few steps away from the doorway and peered in, making sure that they wouldn’t knock into anything running to their father. Spock was putting away the chessboard, and Jim had been drawn into the conversation between Scotty and Chris, a concentrated look on his face. His back was to the door, so Bones stepped into the doorway.

“Jim.” Jim twisted, giving his best friend a curious look. “Turn towards me.” Confused, Jim did as asked, turning his back to Chris and Scotty.

“Bones, what-” Bones turned back to the hallway and reached through for the boys.

“C'mon, kiddos.” He muttered, lifting them both past him and into the living room.

Jim’s eyes widened and he swallowed convulsively. David grinned at his father and Joseph stuck a thumb in his mouth.

“Daddy!” David shouted gleefully, racing towards his father and tripping over his own feet, falling into Jim’s lap. Joseph, as always, simply followed his brother, letting his father pull him into his lap with only a mutter of, “Dada.”

Jim held them both in his lap, cuddling them close and burying his face in their hair. When he pulled his head back and allowed the boys to move so they could look at him, David connected gazes with Jim while Joseph curled up and put an ear against Jim’s chest, quickly dozing off to the sound of his heartbeat. Jim and David began making faces at each other. The contest ended when Jim ran a hand up and down David’s ribs, grinning as David shrieked with laughter and tried to get away from his father. Joseph woke at his brother’s shout, studying his surroundings with sleepy but curious blue eyes. David twisted around until his eyes met Bones’, who was leaning against the doorframe, watching the Kirks interact just like everyone else in the room.

“Uncle Bones!” David pleaded, giggling and ineffectively shoving at his father’s hand. “Help, pleeeease!”

“Well, how could I refuse such a nice request?” Bones swooped in and rescued David, backing away from Jim. Jim frowned at them playfully, blue eyes sparkling.

“Jam, I think we should go after your brother and Uncle Bones. Do you agree?” Jim talked to his son in a serious stage whisper, carefully standing up with Joseph in one arm.

“Ye.” Jam mumbled around his thumb, nodding against his father’s chest. Bones frowned and started backing out of the room, away from a maniacally grinning Jim.

“Stay away from us, you crazy.” He warned, backing his way down the hallway as Jim followed him out of the living room.

 

* * *

 

Chris watched out of the window as the four ran around the gigantic front yard, both boys shrieking with laughter as Bones continued to succeed in evading Jim. For some reason-Chris damn well didn’t know why-Spock appeared outside and was drawn into the game as a third party, or the 'safe base’. He appeared confused but willingly played along, despite protesting that the game was illogical.

 

* * *

 

Several hours later, Jim, Spock, and Bones filled the doorway to David and Joseph’s room. The two were curled in bed, David wrapped protectively around his little brother as if to shield him from harm. Joseph, in turn, was curled around a tattered old teddy bear that Jim had claimed was his own as a child.

The light shone onto David’s face, and when the boy stirred slightly the three men scrambled out of the doorway and cracked the door so the light wouldn’t shine on the boys anymore. The trio slipped back to the empty living room, curling together on the couch in the light and warmth of the roaring fire.

Bones’ head rested against Spock’s shoulder, and Jim was spread out with his head in Spock’s lap and his torso across Bones’. Spock’s hand drifted through Jim’s blond mop of hair, seemingly of its own accord, while Bones idly traced shapes on Jim’s arm. They were almost asleep when Jim broke the silence.

“Thank you, both of you.” He murmured, sleepily slurring his words.

“Anytime, kid.” In his drowsy state, Bones’ accent poured out in full force, as if he’d never left Georgia. Jim’s eyes opened and he fixed them on Spock, startling blue against deep brown.

“I concur with Leonard’s statement, and must add that it is time for you to retire.” Spock added.

“Did you just insinuate that I need a bedtime?” Jim was far too annoyed for someone who had just been about to sleep. Bones placed a large hand over Jim’s mouth, leaving his nose uncovered to breathe.

“Too late to be angry.” Bones slurred, shifting his head against Spock’s shoulder to find a comfier position. “Stop thinking. Go to sleep.”

Jim let out a muffled sentence behind Bones’ hand. Bones pressed his hand down harder. “Shh. Sleep.”

Jim rolled his eyes, but let his eyelids droop shut, safe in the knowledge that his sons were sleeping in the room beside his father and that the two men he thought he loved were beside him.

“Stop thinkin’, dumbo.” Bones grumbled above him. “Sleep.”

Jim fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time since he was six, letting the wave of sleep roll over him between one breath and the next.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm at iwillstaywiththemforever on tumblr! Come check it out and say hi!  
> Downloads are fine, but please don't repost this work anywhere else without my permission!


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